I was told that the big building, near to the bus stop where we'd catch a bus into town, was a home for naughty children. (I believed it for years until one of my school friends pointed out the small sign that said "Castle Hill Old People's Home'!).
Thunder claps, I was told, occur when two clouds bang together.
But the best one must surely have been what my father always said when we went on a day trip to Felixstowe. He never failed to mention that there were more sandy patches, in the main shingle beach, at the northern end of the resort. He'd stress to me how much better it would be to walk to the north end of the beach, so that I could build better sand castles. I could never see that the beach was much better at one end of the seafront than the other, but I believed that he must know best. Over the years I've re-visited Felixstowe on many occasions, and I've often looked to see where the sandiest parts of the beach now are. It was only a couple of years ago, after OVER FIFTY YEARS of believing my father, that it finally occurred to me that the northern end of the beach is simply the bit furthest away from the amusement arcades, funfair rides and ice cream stalls which my father hadn't got any money to spend on!
;-)